Innocence Lost
by Settiai
Summary: WIP :: "In one moment, you can make a choice that will haunt you for the rest of your life." Dawn had never realized how true that statement was, until she made a mistake that would change her life forever.
1. Out on the Town

Title: Innocence Lost

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Dawn makes a mistake that will change her life, and the lives of all those around her, forever.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

----------

**Author's Notes:**

If you have previously read this story, I highly suggest that you read it once more. My writing has improved quite a bit in the years since I first started this story, and I've also matured some since then. I know that certain aspects of the original story were highly implausible and very much out of character, and I'm trying my best to correct those faults.

This chapter, and the next two, takes place after the episode "Older and Far Away" but before "As You Were." Starting with the fourth chapter, the story starts veering AU from near the end of "Hell's Bells."

----------

Fifteen-year-old Dawn Summers was careful to shut the door quietly behind her as she crept out of the house, but she couldn't help but flinch at the sound of it clicking shut. Even though the noise was almost inaudible, her heart started beating faster in anticipation of someone hearing her. She knew that it was much too early for her sister to be home, but Willow was asleep on the couch... and she didn't want to risk getting caught just yet.

After a few seconds had passed, she her racing pulse slowly began slowing back down. Deep inside of her, a twinge of hurt sprang up because no one had attempted to stop her, but on the surface she appeared calm and collected. A grim smile crossed her lips as she hurried into the darkness of the Sunnydale streets.

As she walked under a streetlight a few yards down the street, Dawn glanced down at her outfit. Anyone who saw her tonight would have no clue that she was only fifteen, not with her wearing something as skimpy as this. She doubted that anyone would mistake her for being older than twenty-one, but she hoped that she appeared to be at least eighteen or nineteen.

As she picked up her pace, she felt a single tear make its way into the corner of her eye. She furiously reached upward and wiped it away, berating herself for the momentary lapse. Dawn knew that she would probably regret her actions in the morning, but for now she wanted nothing more than to just go wild for the night. No one understood her, that was obvious to her now. God, none of them had even had a clue that she had been stealing. None of them...

A grim, determined look came to her face as she hurried along towards her destination. She would have hell to pay when Buffy found out that she had snuck out, but for the moment she couldn't care less. Let her be angry… if she even noticed that Dawn was missing before the morning came.

----------

Dawn looked around, grinning wildly at the mass of people crammed into the small bar that she was in. No one had even glanced twice when she had walked in, so she assumed that she had been correct in assuming her outfit would make her appear several years older. Even though she knew that she still looked too young to legally buy liquor, no one seemed to mind as long as she had some money with her.

The music in the room was loud, and she probably would have been in shock if she had been able to actually understand half of the lyrics… which she couldn't. There was a smoky haze throughout the entire place, and she was already feeling slightly dizzy from the variety of familiar, and unfamiliar, smells.

She hadn't come there just to stand around though.

With a determined look on her face, Dawn pushed her way over to the bar. She caught the barkeep's attention and waved a ten-dollar bill in the air. "Give me a shot of..."

She quickly glanced around before letting her eyes stop on a cute guy who was probably only a few years older than her. "...whatever he's having," she finished.

The barkeeper gave her a quick glance before shrugging his shoulders and pouring the murky liquor into a glass. Dawn shoved the money towards him and, without hesitating, brought the glass up to her lips and let the liquor slide down her throat. She resisted the urge to gag and quickly set the glass back down.

As the alcohol burned its way down her throat, she thought for a moment that maybe she should just call it quits and head home. That thought disappeared, however, as the college-age guy she had glanced at earlier stood up and walked over to her. With a warm smile, he turned towards the barkeeper.

"Give me another glass -- and the lady too, if she wants one," he said, winking at Dawn as she did so. "My treat."

Dawn looked up at him, momentarily uncertain of what to say. She finally just smiled and then nodded her head towards the barkeeper. With another shrug, the man poured them each another glass and walked down towards the other end of the bar.

The young man sat down beside her and picked up his glass. He held it up and then quickly downed it. She quickly followed his example and was surprised to discover that this time the drink didn't seem to taste quite as horrible. The young man grinned at her and leaned in closer. "I'm Kyle. How about you?"

She looked up at him with a smile. "I'm Dawn," she said after a moment or two. "Dawn Summers."

Kyle gave her another wink as he stood up and held out his hand. "Well then, Dawn Summers, would you like to dance with me?"

She merely smiled and let him guide her onto the middle of the dance floor. After that, she was barely aware of anything else. The rest of the night seemed to be a mix of loud music, strong drinks, dancing, and…

Kyle.

----------

Dawn felt as if everything was flashing by her. There were loud noises, bright lights, and tons of people. Her head was spinning, and everything seemed distorted. Her eyes didn't seem to focus clearly, but at the same time they seemed to be more focused than ever before. Kyle was standing in front of her, a shark-like grin on his handsome face.

She felt his arms around her and then his lips on hers. Unlike the last time she had been kissed, she seemed to know exactly what was going on now. She let him gently caress her hair as he pulled her closer to him. Everything was crazy, wild, exciting...

And then, suddenly, it was quiet.


	2. Busted

As Dawn slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she realized was that her head felt as if it was about to explode. Her stomach seemed to be rolling, and there was a taste in her mouth that vaguely reminded her of old gym socks. Or maybe a dead animal. She let out a muffled groan as she realized that she was laying on the ground, and she quickly pushed away any thoughts relating to what else might be under her.

After taking a deep breath, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She immediately regretted that decision as the pounding in her head increased tenfold, but all she could do was breath deeply for a second or two. After the pain had subsided just a little, she slowly looked around her. "What the hell am I doing in an alley?" she muttered softly.

Dawn glanced down at her trashy clothes, and let out a quiet moan before leaning against a nearby wall. She knew that it had been pure luck that she hadn't been found by some vampire or demon, but in some ways she actually wished that she had been.

"Shit," she muttered, "how am I going to explain this to Buffy?"

She moved slightly as a brief twinge of pain moved through her lower body, and then she froze. Sudden realization flooded through her as she glanced down at her clothing once more, noticing for the first time how rumpled it looked.

As if she hadn't been wearing it all night.

"Oh God," Dawn whispered, her hand coming up to her mouth.

----------

Spike quickly slipped out of the sewer and into one of the many dark, deserted alleys of the town. The blood supply in his crypt was starting to run low, and as of late he hadn't had much time during the night to go and get some. He smirked slightly as he thought about exactly why he hadn't had much time, but his grin faded as he came around a corner.

He saw what appeared to be a young woman sitting near the alley wall, her head buried in her arms and her body obviously shaking with silent sobs. Judging from the outfit she was wearing, she was either a hooker or some teenager who had partied just a little too much during the night. Whichever it was, he knew that she didn't need to stay there. Did the kid not know anything about Sunnydale?

With an annoyed sigh he started walking over to the woman. "When did I become such a bloody softie?" he muttered.

He purposely walked loudly, letting the girl know that someone was coming up behind her. As he came close, the girl's head shot up and he found himself looking into the bloodshot eyes of a teenager. Two very familiar eyes.

"Dawn?" he said incredulously as he froze where he stood. "What the hell are you doing here?"

----------

Dawn's eyes filled with fear as she looked up at Spike. She had never seen him truly angry before, but she felt that it was safe to say that this was what he looked like. There was practically fire shooting from his eyes, and she had a feeling that she was about to either receive an extremely severe lecture… or have her throat ripped out.

Unfortunately, it was the lecture.

She let her mind wander as the vampire raved on, and after a few minutes she became aware of the fact that her head was still spinning. She felt her eyes lose their focus on Spike, and she quickly prayed that he wouldn't notice that she wasn't listening to him. It seemed, however, that her prayers weren't going to be answered.

As the world seemed to start whirling around her, she heard the anger in his voice immediately turn to worry. "What's wrong?"

He stared at her for a moment, and as she watched in surprise he sniffed the air. Realization flooded his face, and Dawn couldn't help but look away as something akin to disappointment appeared in his eyes.

"Please don't tell Buffy," she whispered softly. "Please, Spike."

He stared at her for a few seconds, his face completely unreadable. "What happened?" he asked finally.

"I just wanted to have some fun," Dawn said weakly. "It was only supposed to be a little fun. I… I didn't mean for it to go this far."

Spike kept staring at her, and she couldn't help but squirm slightly under his stern gaze. "Who was he?" he asked coldly.

Dawn shrugged, an ashamed look in her eyes. "I don't know," she whispered. "But please don't tell Buffy."

Suddenly, she felt her mind seem to detach from her body. Her eyesight slowly faded into a murky darkness as she let the dizziness that had been lurking in the shadows overcome her. As she slowly slumped down to the cold ground, she felt two strong hands grab her and gently pick her up.

Then everything slowly faded away into nothingness.

----------

Buffy paced nervously across the floor of the Magic Box, her eyes moving wildly across the room every few seconds. Her hands were clasped together, and she looked like she hadn't slept at all the night before.

"Where could she be, guys?" she said worriedly. "I mean, we've been practically everywhere in Sunnydale and talked to almost all of her friends. Oh god, what if she isn't even here anymore. What if she ran away to Los Angeles or somewhere like that? What if..."

"How about you stop asking 'what if this' and 'what if that'," Xander broke in, "and try to figure out where Dawn is and why she's there…"

He trailed off and shook his head apologetically. "And I'm not helping in the least bit."

Buffy gave him a weak smile before glancing over at Willow. The red-haired woman gave her an remorseful smile of her own. "I should have noticed when she left," she said with a sigh. "If I had just checked on her earlier..."

"If you had just checked on her earlier, she probably still wouldn't have been there," Buffy said with a tired sigh as she sank into a nearby chair. "From what I saw, it looked like she snuck out fairly early in the night. It's not your fault, Willow."

Buffy shook her head and glanced down at her hands. "If only I had a clue where to look," she said bitterly. "I mean, this is Sunnydale. So many things could have happened to her out there..."

"Yeah," Anya suddenly said, shaking her head vehemently. "She could have been drained by vampires, or captured by a demon, or kidnapped by some crazy, devil-worshipping cult, or snuck over to some cute guy's house and spent the night in his room... What?"

A baffled expression appeared on the ex-demon's face as Buffy and Willow both shot venomous looks at her. Xander quickly walked over to his fiancé and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Anya, sweetie," he said gently. "We really didn't want to think about what might have happened to Dawn. In fact, we're trying **not** to think about it."

"Then why do you keep mentioning her?" Anya asked curiously.

Just as Buffy was reaching for the nearest weapon, the bell over the door rang. All four of the people in the room quickly looked up, and hopeful expression appeared on Buffy's face. It slowly faded as Tara walked in though, and it died completely as the blonde woman shook her head ruefully.

"I tried the locating spell," Tara said softly, "but I couldn't get a definite position. I'm fairly certain that she's still in town though."

Buffy once again sank down into her chair. "Where could she be? She wasn't at the house, or the park, or her school..."

"Or the old high school," Xander added in with a sigh as he followed suit. "Or the Bronze."

"I didn't see her in any of the store or restaurants downtown," Willow said as she slowly lay her head on the table.

"I checked around with all of my family and friends who are already in town for the wedding, and they all assured me that they hadn't eaten, cursed, or granted wishes to a girl that fit her description, " Anya filled in with a helpful smile.

Silence filled the room as the others tried not to think about what she had just said.

Tara shook her head as she sat down beside Buffy at the table. "Before I tried the spell, I checked out the cemetery, Spike's crypt, and some of the other demon hangouts."

Without warning, the doorway to the basement flung open with a crash, and everyone in the room jumped at the sound. As a familiar vampire walked in, Xander quickly opened his mouth in preparation for a barrage of insults. The words never left his mouth, however, as he -- as well as everyone else in the room -- noticed the young girl that Spike was carrying in his arms.

Buffy didn't say a word as she walked over and held out her arms. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at what her sister was wearing, but she didn't say a word as she took her sister in her arms. As he handed Dawn over, she stirred slight and opened her eyes.

"Buffy?" she asked wearily, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

The Slayer smiled and shook her head. Then she looked over at the vampire and asked the one question that kept popping into her head. "Where did you find her?" she asked firmly.

He looked like he was about to answer, but then he looked down at the young girl that was slowly regaining consciousness. There was a pained look in her eyes as she silently begged him not to tell her sister the entire story. He sighed slowly before nodding and motioning for Buffy to put the girl down and follow him into the back room.

She gave him a curious look but was still quick to follow. She carefully helped Dawn to her feet and looked into her eyes. Her younger sister just looked away, an ashamed look on her face. With one more look, she turned and followed Spike into the room.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked with concern. "Why don't you come over here and sit down?"

Dawn gave the redhead a thankful smile as she walked over and prepared to sit down. Before she did, though, she was surprised to feel someone place a large jacket over her shoulders. As she sat down, she looked over her shoulder and gave the dark-haired young man standing there a grateful smile.

The smile on her face faded, however, as a loud cry came from the backroom. She could feel everyone's eyes settle on her as Buffy's voice echoed throughout the room. "You found her **where**?"

The door to the backroom flung open and Buffy stomped over to her sister. With an angry glare, she grabbed the girl by the arm and practically dragged her to her feet.

"We are going back to the house, so that you can go straight to bed," Buffy said angrily. "After you wake up, you are going to tell me exactly what happened last night. And don't worry about not having enough time. I know that it's a new concept, but you're now grounded for the rest of eternity."

As the two of them quickly disappeared from the room, Xander looked around at the others with a baffled expression on his face. He quickly raised his voice, making sure that the vampire in the back could hear him. "Okay, someone better start explaining."

Spike walked out of the back, a lit cigarette between his lips. He shrugged once before heading towards the door he had entered from. "You're going to have to ask the Slayer," he called out as the door slammed behind him.


	3. Punishment

Dawn opened her eyes gingerly, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that she was at home, in her bed. A sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it, and she slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position. She groaned quietly at the dull ache in her head but didn't say a word. With a worried expression on her face, she looked down at her outfit… and was surprised to see that she was wearing an old, over-sized T-shirt of Buffy's.

"Was it just a bad dream?" she asked herself quietly.

This was just about to decide that it was, when she realized that there was a warm sunlight streaming through her window. The only time that sunlight came through her window was during the late afternoon. As the realization hit her, she collapsed back down onto her pillow with a stricken look on her face.

"Oh god, what exactly happened last night?" she asked with a moan.

She jumped slightly as a familiar voice came from the doorway. "I'd really like to know that myself," Buffy said dryly. "Care to fill me in?"

Dawn looked up at her sister with an ashamed expression on her face, sighing softly as she once again pulled herself up into a sitting position. She was careful not to let her gaze meet Buffy's as she spoke.

"I was mad about… everything," she said hesitantly. "Everything and everyone. I just... I don't know. One of my friends told me about this bar where they didn't ask any questions, and I…"

She paused for a moment, obviously trying to think of a way to word what she needed to say next. After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath and finished her story as quickly as she could.

"So I grabbed that outfit from your closet, and then snuck out of the house right after you left to go slaying," she said hurriedly, her eyes watering a bit. "I went to the bar, and then I had a few drinks, and then... and then… and then I woke up in the alley the next morning a few minutes before Spike found me."

Dawn could feel Buffy's eyes on her, and she struggled not to start sobbing. The dull ache between her thighs had faded somewhat, but it was a painful reminder of the blurred events that she had left out. For a few moments there was silence in the room, and then Buffy sighed and dropped down beside her sister on the bed.

"What happened the rest of the night?" Buffy asked gently, reaching out to push a strand of hair out of Dawn's face.

Dawn reluctantly met Buffy's gaze, and she stared at the disappointment in her sister's eyes for several seconds before letting her eyes fall back down to look at the bed. "It's all blurred," she admitted softly. "I really… I don't know."

Buffy groaned as she brought her hand up to rub her temple. "Do you know how much trouble we could be in because of this?" she asked bitterly. "Social services are already on my case, and if they find out that you snuck out of the house and spent the night doing who knows what at some bar... what the hell were you thinking?"

As her sister's voice rose, Dawn could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know what I was thinking," she said, her voice cracking. "I don't know... maybe I just thought that I couldn't take it anymore, so I was trying to find an escape. Unlike you, I can't just go out and beat up on some vamps or demons until I feel better. And I can't run off to L.A. for three months or so and not tell anyone where I am. And I can't..."

Buffy suddenly reached out and placed her hand over Dawn's mouth. She gave the younger girl a gentle smile and shook her head. "You made your point," she said lightly.

Dawn gave her sister a teary smile as she slowly put her arms around her Buffy's waist. "I'm sorry about all of this," she said weakly. "I really am. I just… I just didn't think."

She bit her lip slightly as she pulled away, reaching up to wipe away her tears as a teasing expression made its way onto her face. "I'm pretty sure Mom never knew about that outfit I borrowed from you," she said with a weak smile. "And it looked like you'd had it for awhile. Want to tell me where it came from?"

Buffy rolled her eyes before standing up and making her way to the door. "I'll probably tell you in about… never."

Dawn gave her sister a look before slowly letting her head sink back down into the softness of her pillow. She propped herself up on her elbows, though, when Buffy stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. "You do realize that you're grounded, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Until further notice, you're not allowed to leave the house unless you're going to school, saving the world, or with me."

As Buffy turned and left the room, Dawn collapsed back against her pillow with a moan. "For every crime, there's a punishment," she muttered. "Or, in my case, torture."

She cried out as a small pillow suddenly hit her in the face. Sitting up in her bed, she glared at the familiar form that was once again standing in the doorway.

"I heard that, you little brat," Buffy said, her eyes twinkling.


	4. What's Wrong With Me?

Dawn let out a moan as she slowly pulled herself out of bed. It had been almost two months, and Buffy still hadn't taken away all of her restrictions. God, you would have thought that with Riley coming back with his wife in tow and the almost disaster of Xander and Anya's wedding, she might have at least given her a break. Of course, whatever it was that was going on between her and Spike had definitely affected her mood though...

The teenager's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as she felt a wave of nausea sweep through her. In one motion, she pulled herself out of bed and practically dashed to the bathroom. As quietly as she could, she dropped down in front of the toilet and quickly emptied everything from her stomach into the bowl. After a few minutes of gagging, she slowly stood up, flushed the mess down the drain, and started cleaning herself up.

As she washed her face, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She could see the almost unnoticeable fear in her eyes as she thought about how many times that she had been sick lately. With a nervous laugh, she quickly turned off the water in the sink, dried her face, and hurried towards her bedroom.

She stopped for a moment to look at Buffy lying asleep in her bed, looking more peaceful than she had in ages. _Please, don't let me be right about what's wrong with me, _she prayed silently. Without saying a word, she hurried on down the hall to her room. Dawn quickly threw some clothes on over her head and hurried down the stairs. She wasn't very surprised to see Willow already sitting at the table.

As she hurried into the kitchen and poured her a glass of orange juice, she waved at the redhead. "Willow, tell Buffy 'hi' for me when she wakes up," she said, gulping down her juice as quickly as she could. "I'm running late for school. See you at the Magic Box this afternoon!"

----------

Several hours later, Dawn hurried down the streets of Sunnydale. She had conveniently forgotten to mention to Buffy that school was going to be released an hour early, but she still didn't want to get there too late just in case Buffy knew about the early release.

Fingering the small wad of dollar bills in her pocket, Dawn hurried into a small convenience store near the magic shop where she was supposed to meet the others. She knew which aisle she was heading towards, but it still took all of her courage to go there. As she stepped onto the aisle, she immediately felt out of place. No, she didn't need to be here. She had to be imagining things. She probably just had a case of the stomach flu or something, nothing to worry about...

Suddenly the familiar feeling of nausea came to her. Having learned from past experiences, she quickly leaned against the shelves and waited for it to pass. A frightened look came to her face as it finally let go. It was impossible. She had her suspicions about what had happened that night at the bar, but still… just the once? She couldn't be… not after just one time. One mistake.

Dawn quickly pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she hurried on down the aisle to pick up what she had came for. As she stepped in front of the pile of them on the shelf, she reached out her hand to pick out a few different boxes. Her hand hesitated over them for just a moment, but she finally grabbed them.

Looking around her to make sure no one was watching, she hurried towards a checkout lane in the back of the store. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was there except for the cashier, a young, raven-haired woman in her mid-twenties. Stepping up to the desk, she tentatively placed her purchases on the counter.

The woman looked at her with a curious expression on her face as she typed in the prices. "That will be $8.32," she said matter-of-factly. "Aren't you a little a bit young to be buying this?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders as she handed over the money to the woman. She raised her eyebrows slightly as the woman flinched when she touched the cross charm that was on her bracelet. "Aren't you a little undead to be working as a cashier?" she asked, her hand atomically drifting down to the small stake she kept hidden under her jacket.

The vampire gave her a weary smile as she handed over the two small boxes. "Hey, not all of us go around attacking humans," she said. "Some of us live pretty normal lives. A nice, dark apartment, a job to pay for it, fresh blood stolen from the hospital... It's a pretty good unlife, once you get used to it."

Dawn fingered the small stake in her pocket for a moment before turning around and heading towards the exit. "Yeah, I guess that it would be," she said lightly. "At least you don't have to worry about anything like this."

As she walked away, she motioned towards the two small boxes inside her shopping bag. She was slightly surprised to see the vampire smile at her, humor twinkling in her eyes.

"Yeah, we really don't have much of a use for pregnancy tests."

----------

Dawn quickly shoved the bag inside of her backpack as she walked into the Magic Box. Buffy was sitting at a table, her head resting on it wearily. Willow and Tara were sitting beside her, quietly talking to each other -- a big improvement over how they had been acting around each other just a few months earlier. She was getting ready to walk over to them when she noticed a deeply tanned couple standing at the counter.

"Xander! Anya! You're back from your honeymoon!"

Her exclamation caught Buffy's attention, causing her to sit up and look at her watch. A curious expression came to her face as she listened to her sister start talking loudly with the newlyweds. Raising her voice loud enough to be heard over their conversation, she quickly addressed her younger sister.

"Dawn, is it me, or are you here a little early today?" she asked suspiciously.

Dawn quickly looked up at the clock hanging on a nearby wall. With a sheepish grin she turned to her sister. "Didn't I tell you that school was going to be let out a little early today?"

Buffy shook her head, a bit of uncertainty in her eyes as she let her head lay back down on the table.

"No, you didn't," she said tiredly. "At the moment though, I really could care less. Wake me up only if some horrible evil comes walking through the door. And then only if it kills the rest of you."


	5. Discoveries

Dawn lay on her bed, her eyes focused on a dirty spot of her ceiling. She breathed quietly, making sure that she would be able to hear when Buffy left. As she waited, her hands nervously squeezed the two, small boxes laying beside her. _Please, please, please don't be positive_, she begged silently. _Please._

After what seemed like hours, even though she knew it had been less than fifteen minutes, she finally heard the downstairs door slam. That meant Buffy had left to go stake some vamps. Shakily, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked over at the clock laying on her dresser. Willow wouldn't be home for at least another hour.

Good.

Trying not to think about what she was doing, Dawn slid off of her bed onto the floor. The floor felt cool under her hare feet, but at the moment she didn't care. Like a zombie, she walked towards the bathroom. As she got closer, four words seemed to echo in her thoughts. _Please don't be positive. Please don't be positive._

----------

_Fear. That's what he could feel, fear. No, not fear... it was more than fear. The child from whom it was emanating from was beyond fear. She was terrified. Terrified that she was right about what was wrong with her. It was like music to his ears._

_Suddenly his eyes opened, and they shone like beacons in the pitch blackness of its surroundings. They were as cold as ice and as red as blood, and they seemed to be as old as time itself. Almost as quickly as they had appeared, they faded away. One thing echoed through the darkness, though. A voice._

_A cold, lifeless voice._

"_Now to make her fear grow into terror." _

----------

Dawn sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor, her eyes closed and tears streaming down her face. The pregnancy tests were laying on the sink, and she was trying not to think about how, in just a few minutes, she would find out if her life had changed forever.

She had read the box carefully, making sure that she knew exactly how to use them. It had seemed simple... just follow the directions and wait for the test to change colors. Blue meant that she was fine, and red...

Dawn teenager cringed slightly as she thought about what red meant.

After she was sure that more than enough time had passed, Dawn slowly pulled herself up from the floor. Her breath was coming in quick, short breaths, and she felt like she was about to die.

"Actually," she whispered with a wry grin, "I might really die if this test turns out positive."

The grin on her face slowly faded as she realized what she was saying. With a scared moan, she quickly hurried over to the sink. Once again, the same four words echoed through her mind, except this time, there seemed to be an added emphasis on them. _**Please** don't be positive. Please **don't** be positive._

Knowing that she couldn't put it off any longer, Dawn reached over to the sink and grabbed the finished tests. Her eyes slowly widened as she looked at them. Without warning, laughter suddenly burst from her lips. The tests dropped from her hands as she sank down to her knees still laughing uncontrollably.

They both were red.


	6. There's Something You Need to Know

Willow fiddled with her key, trying her best to get the door open. With an irritated groan, she finally collapsed onto the porch steps. "Why do these things always happen to me?" she muttered angrily.

"What things always happen to you, Will?" a familiar voice from in front of her asked.

The red haired woman shot her head up, a surprised look on her face. The surprise quickly faded though as she saw who was standing there.

"Buffy?" A puzzled expression appeared on her face. "You're home early, aren't you?"

The Slayer shrugged her shoulder as she walked past her friend. She pulled a key out of her pocket and quickly opened the door. "I guess so," she said, shrugging. "There didn't seem to be that much evil out there tonight."

Buffy stopped in the doorway and looked back at her friend. An apprehensive expression slowly made its way onto her face. "You know, now that I think about it... that's not such a good thing," she said worriedly. "If this follows usual patterns, we'll be getting some major badness pretty soon."

Willow nodded her head wearily as she followed Buffy into the house. "Yeah, that's the way it usually goes," she agreed. "You want some coffee?"

The Slayer pulled her jacket off and tossed it onto a nearby chair as she started up the stairs. "I'm going to go and check on Dawn, and then I'll take you up on your offer. Coffee is really sounding like a good idea right around now."

Willow smiled as she walked into the kitchen. As she fiddled with the coffeemaker, she listened to the sound of Buffy walking around upstairs. After a few minutes had passed, however, a curious expression appeared on her face. The footsteps sounded almost like Buffy was running, and she was sure that she had heard her friend call out something.

She lay the packet of coffee on the table and stepped out of the kitchen. "Is everything okay up there, Buffy?"

The redhead jumped slightly as Buffy came running down the stairs and grabbed her jacket. Without even turning her head around, the Slayer hurried to the door and opened it.

"Dawn's not here," Buffy said, her voice more irritated than worried. "Call the guys and tell them to meet us at the Magic Box."

As the door slammed behind her, Willow gave another tired grin. Hurrying to the phone, an exasperated laugh burst from her lips.

"Whenever there's a calm in the storm, it just comes back even more violent that before," she muttered. "Just another plus of living on the Hellmouth, I guess."

----------

Dawn pulled her jacket closer to her as she hurried along the darkening streets. Tears were streaming down her face as she hurried along. She didn't know where she was going, but she did know that she couldn't be at her house right then.

She couldn't face her sister.

A muffled scream escaped her lips as two strong arms suddenly grabbed her, pulling her into the shadows of one of Sunnydale's many alleys. Spinning around, she found herself looking into the eyes of a handsome young man probably no older than eighteen. Her eyes narrowed slightly, however, as she looked at him closely.

Twisting her hand from his grip, she made thrust the cross on her bracelet up against his face. As he cried out in pain, she yanked herself from his grip and started running. Her head twisted around for just a moment as she glared back at him. "It served you right, vamp."

That moment cost her just enough time, however, for the vampire to catch hold of her jacket. Giving up all pretense of humanity, he let his game face show... seconds before he sank his teeth into her neck.

----------

Spike's eyes narrowed as a someone nearby suddenly let out a cry of fear and pain. The sound was vaguely familiar, as if it was coming from someone he knew. He was already making his way toward the alley where it was coming from when realization dawned on him. Letting out a string of curses in several different languages, he quickly increased his pace into a run. Fire flashed in his eyes as he remembered that Dawn wasn't even supposed to be out at night.

"After I save her, I'm going to kill her."

Just as he reached the alley, the vampire that was holding the teenager leaned down and sank his teeth into her pale neck. With an animal-like roar, Spike flung himself at them... forcing the vamp to let Dawn drop as he tried to get out of the way.

Without even stopping to think, the Spike pounced on the younger vampire. As the both fell to the ground, he pulled out a stake and stuck it right through the other vamp's heart. A few seconds later, he slowly stood up -- dusting himself off as he did so -- and glared in Dawn's direction.

Spike stomped over to where she lay on the ground and jerked the young teen to her feet. He was completely prepared to start ranting... until he saw the tears streaming down her face.

A curious expression appeared on his face as he stared at the girl in front of him. There was something different about her, but he couldn't tell what exactly. "Nibblet?" he asked quietly, questions burning in his eyes.

When she didn't look up, Spike gently reached out and tilted her head up so that he could see her face clearly. "Dawn?"

Dawn reluctantly glanced up at him, a million thoughts running through her mind. There were only a few people she would trust her life with... and he was one of them. Tears still streaming down her face, she slowly took a shuddery breath and looked him directly in the eyes. In a weak, trembling voice, barely more than a whisper, she started talking.

"There's something you need to know," she said, her voice cracking as she spoke.


	7. Please Don't Kill Me

Spike stood absolutely still for a moment, his mouth practically hanging open in shock. After what seemed like eternity to Dawn, he let out a pained sound and leaned back against the alley's wall.

"Bloody hell."

The teenager looked up at him with tears welling in her eyes once again. She could sense all of the emotions in his voice: the anger, the disappointment... the sudden urge to murder someone.

When he finally let his gaze drift back toward her, there was glint in his eyes that could only be described as homicidal. In a slow, dangerous voice, he asked the question that she had wanted with all her might to keep in the dark. "Do you know who he was?"

Dawn looked down at the ground for a moment, trying to figure out exactly how to word her answer. Finally she took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes. She could hear the tremble in her voice as she quietly answered.

"No," she said weakly. "I don't… I don't actually remember much about that night. I'm pretty sure it was consensual on my part, but other than that…"

The vampire once again let out something that resembled a moan as he closed his eyes and tenderly rubbed his brow. "Damn."

----------

Just as she had two months earlier, Buffy paced nervously in the middle of the Magic Box. This time, however, her eyes were full of anger and hurt instead of worry.

"What the hell am I going to do with her?" Buffy ranted. "She promised that she wouldn't pull a stunt like this. God, am I ever going to be able to trust her again?"

With a worried sigh, the Slayer collapsed into a nearby chair and promptly buried her head in her arms. Anya looked at Buffy helplessly for a moment before giving her husband a quick shove in her direction.

"Go and do something to make her feel better!" she whispered loudly. "Just don't have sex with her. That's not allowed."

A surprised expression appeared on Xander's face, but he quickly replaced it with one of concern. He placed his hands on Buffy's shoulders and did his best to try and reassure her.

"Come on, this is Dawn that we're talking about," he said reassuringly. "She probably had a good reason to disappear. I mean, when you had a good reason when you ran off. You know, with the whole 'my boyfriend is a big, bad murdering vampire that I have to kill and...' I'm not going to try and help anymore."

Buffy pulled her head out of her arms and gave her friend a weak smile. "That's probably a good idea, Xander," she said lightly. "A few more minutes of that, and I'd be letting out all of my frustrations over Dawn on you."

The door suddenly flung open, and the three occupants of the room shot their heads towards it. Their disappointment was obvious to the two young women who walked into the room, but they both chose to ignore it. Tara gave them an apologetic look as she pulled off her jacket.

"I got some results from the spell," she said, shaking her head, "but there were some... difficulties."

With a worried look on her face, Buffy pulled herself to her feet. "What kind of difficulties, Tara? She is still okay, isn't she?"

Tara quickly nodded her head, doing her best to try and not alarm the Slayer any more than she already had. "I'm fairly certain that she's fine," she said gently. "I'm just getting a few... discrepancies when I tried the spell. It was almost like..."

A troubled expression appeared on her face as a thought crossed her mind, and Willow quickly reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Tara, are you okay?"

The young witch quickly shook her head as she leaned against the wall. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just... thinking about what might have caused the problems I had with the spell. I guess I was thinking a little too hard."

She gave them a reassuring smile. With a shaky sigh she looked at the redhead standing beside her and motioned with her eyes. Willow gave her an understanding nod as she turned back to the others.

"I checked around, without using any magic," she said tiredly, "but I couldn't find a trace of her."

"Is it just me or does this seem a little familiar?" Xander asked curiously. "And I don't mean, 'didn't something happen a few years ago in some movie that vaguely resembled this' kind of familiar. It's more of a 'this is almost exactly the same as what happened two months ago' kind of familiar."

Anya wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled gently. "Of course honey, whatever you say," she said, obviously attempting to placate him. "I'm sure that everyone else sees just what you're talking about."

"I'm going to have to agree with Xander on this one," Buffy said tiredly.

Xander shook his head. "It's almost exactly like what happened last time," he said. "I wouldn't be very surprised if Captain Peroxide came walking through the door in a few minutes, carrying Dawn in his arms..."

"Now where would you ever get an idea like that," Spike said as he walked into the room, pushing the missing teenager in front of him as he came. "Just because some vampire decided to take a little bite out of--"

"Spike!" Dawn hissed, shooting him a dirty look as everyone's eyes immediately turned to the bloody handkerchief she was holding to her neck. "It's not even enough of a bite to cause a scar."

Spike shook his head, but he carefully drew the conversation away from the topic. "I was just walking around, minding my own business, and I came across the 'Lil Bit here," he said casually. "I'm guessing that she's the reason all of you are gathered here."

Buffy shot him an exasperated look before stomping over to where they were standing. "Come on Dawn, we're going back to the house and this time you're going to be grounded for a **lot **longer that three months," she said coldly. "I think that 'for the rest of your life' is a good place to start. What the hell were..."

She trailed off suddenly as Spike grabbed her arm. "You better hold it there, luv," he said warningly. "The Nibblet here has something she wants to tell you, and I think that it might be safer if you find out now."

"Safer for me, at least," Dawn muttered weakly, drawing an uncertain look from her sister. "I think that we need to go in the back for me to tell you this."

She turned and started walking towards the back room before turning back to look at her sister. "One thing Buffy... after I tell you this, please don't kill me."

At those words, the Slayer's eyes widened even more, and -- after sharing a worried look with both Willow and Tara -- she hurried after Dawn. As the door shut behind them, Spike pulled out a cigarette and put it up to his lips. Ignoring the incredulous looks on the others' faces, he merely lighted it and took in a few breaths. The worried expression on his face was enough to let them know that something was terribly wrong though.

But they didn't have much time to ponder over what it might be.

Less than a minute after the two of them entered the backroom, the eerie stillness of the Magic Box was broken by a loud shattering coming from the back room. Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow shared a quick look before dashing towards the back, leaving Spike to slowly pull the cigarette away from his lips.

"Well, it sounds like the Slayer took it better than I would have thought," he said dryly.

Flicking the cigarette to the floor, he carefully ground it underneath his foot. Taking in a shaky breath, even though he didn't actually need it, he then followed the others. There was a murderous glint in his eyes though. Dawn had said that she didn't know who the guy was, but when he found out...

It might give him a hell of a headache, but he wasn't going to let that bloody chip in his head stop him. No, not in the least bit.


	8. Telling the Scoobies

When the Scoobies quickly opened the door to the back room, they were met by a sight that none of them were prepared for. Dawn was leaning against the wall, tears silently streaming down her face as she stared at her sister... who was on her knees in the middle of the room, a shocked look frozen on her face. For a moment they just stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say, especially since they had no clue what was going on.

After what seemed like hours to them, even though it had barely been five minutes, Buffy seemed to slip out of whatever spell she had been under. She blinked twice and then seemed to notice her friends standing in the doorway. The shocked look on her face slowly faded away and was replaced by a determined one.

Buffy took a deep breath as she pulled herself to her feet and walked over to her sister. "Come on," she said weakly. "Let's get home."

Dawn looked up at her sister with teary eyes and slowly nodded her head. She then took a shaky breath and glanced past her sister to the group standing in the doorway. For a moment she stood there staring, studying each of their faces.

It was obvious that Xander had no clue what was going on, and his wife didn't seem to be much better, considering the fact that they were wearing identical confused expressions on their faces. After mentally summing up what they knew, the teenager slowly turned her eyes towards Willow. The redhead was wearing a slightly puzzled look on her face, but it was obvious that she had a few guesses on what was going on... and they probably weren't that far off.

She then turned her gaze to Tara.

When she looked into the witch's eyes, Dawn felt her heart freeze for a moment. There was no mistaking the worried glint in her eyes. She knew.

Dawn took another shaky breath as she let her gaze catch Tara's. Without saying a word, she answered the question that was burning in the witch's eyes. As soon as she did, Tara quickly choked back a gasp. At the sound, the others quickly turned around to look at her.

The teenager quietly walked over to Buffy and looked her in the eyes. "Can we go home, Buffy?" she asked weakly. "Now? Spike knows everything, and I'm pretty sure that Tara's figure out most of it."

Buffy finally noticed just how much Dawn was trembling, and she quickly reached out to steady her. "Spike, tell them what's going on," she said firmly. "I'm taking Dawn home."

----------

As the door closed behind Buffy, Spike found himself quickly surrounded. Anya and Willow both stood in front of him with expectant looks on their faces, and Xander was trying his best to look threatening. The vampire merely raised an eyebrow. After a few moments passed without Spike telling them anything, Xander finally sighed.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on or not?" he asked, a combination of worry and irritation in his voice.

Before the blonde vampire had a chance to answer, Tara slowly walked past Xander and faced Spike. "Is she pregnant?" she asked matter-of-factly.

At that, Xander let out a short bark of laughter. "Yeah right. Dawn, pregnant? Like that would ever happen. She's just a little kid." He glanced over Spike. "So, what's really wrong?"

The laughter quickly died on his lips as Spike kept his mouth shut and looked away. His eyes widened in shock as he realized what the vampire was telling him. Willow's face was frozen, her eyes already widening in shock. Tara, meanwhile, was looking down at the ground.

Anya was the only one who didn't seem upset by the news. A pout was slowly forming on her lips as she turned to her husband. "This isn't fair. I'm the one who's married, so I should be the on who's pregnant. Why does she get to have a baby before us? Doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

As she noticed the looks the others were sending in her direction, she determinedly placed her hands on her hips.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked. "What did I say?"

Ignoring Anya's question, Willow glanced back at Spike. "From two months ago?" she asked weakly. "Is that when she…"

He finally looked back at them. "Yeah," he acknowledged. "That's what she said, at least. She doesn't remember much about it, though."

"Was she raped?" Tara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

At that, Anya blanched and most of the color drained from her face as she suddenly understood the others' reactions from a few minutes earlier. Xander reached over to gently squeeze her arm, but he didn't move his gaze from Spike. "Was she?" he asked, his own voice shaky.

"She doesn't think so," Spike said, looking away from them once again. "Like I said, though, she doesn't exactly remember much about that night."

No one said a word after that.


End file.
